Others have provided devices for detecting engine low coolant levels. Such devices include indicators for signaling when the coolant level drops below a preselected point. Indicators of and within themselves, however, do not guarantee protection of the engine since the indicators may be ignored, either intentionally or unintentionally.
The present invention is directed toward a system for protecting a vehicle from damage when the coolant level falls below a preselected level. The system of the invention is primarily differentiated from the known methods in that it protects the engine in a way which does not depend upon the attention of the operator and, in addition, enables the operator to move the vehicle from hazardous driving conditions to a place of safety or repair.
Particularly, the invention includes a low water detection probe which actuates a valve in the engine fuel system. The valve has two positions, an opened and a closed position. In the opened position (which attitude the valve takes when the engine coolant level is at the normal operating level), fuel flow is unrestricted from the fuel source through the valve to the engine, enabling the operator to operate the engine at the speed desired. When a low coolant level occurs, however, the valve is moved to the closed position. In the closed position fuel is not completely shut off, since this would cause the vehicle to come to a halt, possibly in a dangerous area of traffic. Instead, in the closed position the valve provides a restricted fuel flow rate. The restricted rate is preselected and is sufficient to enable the operator to operate the vehicle at a low rate of speed to move the vehicle to an area of safety and to an area wherein repairs can be made. The low rate of speed is such as to cause the operator to seek correction of the coolant level as soon as possible, but at the same time the rate of speed is such that it does not leave the operator of the vehicle stranded. In this way maximum protection to the engine of the vehicle is afforded to guard against damage from low coolant levels, but at the same time the operator of the vehicle is not endangered by the complete stoppage of the vehicle. The system does not require the operator to observe warning lights, sounds or so forth and therefore is, from this standpoint, essentially foolproof.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved low coolant level protection system for vehicles.
More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide a low coolant level protection system for vehicles which does not require the attention of the operator to detect the occurrence of a low level and, in addition, which does not shut down completely the engine of the vehicle when a low coolant level occurs so as to potentially place the operator in a dangerous predicament.
Still more particularly, an object of this invention is to provide a low coolant level protection system for a vehicle including a valve in the fuel system arranged in a way that when proper coolant levels exist unrestricted fuel flow to the engine is provided, but when coolant levels drop below the normal operating level, the flow of fuel to the valve is substantially reduced to cause the operator to seek correction of the condition but without jeopardizing his safety.
Other and more specific objects of the invention will be fulfilled in the following description and claims, taken in conjunction of the attached drawings.